i used to keep cichlids before but then went into a planted aquarium and now im back with cichlids... i love all the color and their personalities so much :-) these are truly wonderful fishies :-)
anyway my question was if it would be okay to keep 1 male and three female kenyi cichlids in a 20 gallon tank. i have heard of many people who did this and were successful or is it better to have 1 male and 3 female auratus in that tank? i cannot upgrade to a larger tank as my mom wont let me but i can put the cichlids that wont go into that tank into a tank of my friend .... i got all these guys as 1 inch little fishies so will their growth be stunted in a 20 gallon 2 foot tank? i would love to keep one of these two kinds of cichlids in that tank and would be delighted if they bred.... if possible i would like to keep both species but i can always stick to 1 species... :-)
thanks for any feedback and info :-D the tank can be seen under aquariums in my name :-)

Tazman

03-22-2012 09:20 PM

Short answer, is nothing except shell dwellers is suitable for a 20g tank even small fish. Lake Malawi cichlids need at least a 55g tank and above.

You have aggressive fish in the kenyi and auatus, bluntly auratus alone need to be 1 male to 7 female which grossly overstocks a 20g to the point it will kill the fish quick.

You need to look for other fish to put in the 20g tank as it is not suitable for these fish at all...sorry.